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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Since today is Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to recommend a couple of new Doom metal releases for your listening pleasure. The first release is the new album "Ritual Abuse" by the band Cough. Just by looking at the album cover you can tell that this album spews pure evil. The next album is "Take the Curse" by Ramesses. Be afraid, be very afraid!!

Cough-"Ritual Abuse"

Richmond’s COUGH delivers thoroughly massive, psychedelic doom on their aptly titled Relapse debut ‘Ritual Abuse’. The albums five epic tracks are impenetrable walls of sludge; at points suffocating and claustrophobic, at others warped and hallucinogenic. ‘Ritual Abuse’ is an impressive monolith of sound and volume, and one of the finest moments yet of 21st century doom.

Reviews:

Metal George Pacheco-About.com

"Bringing with them a wealth of unholy and occult atmosphere, Richmond, Virginia’s Cough have made good on their initial promise with Ritual Abuse, their debut for Relapse Records and second full-length overall.

Though it would have been easy for the band to turn on the sludge autopilot and simply wing their way with ground-tuned, ambient riffage, Cough impresses with their ability to actually keep a tempo, whilst of course remaining mercilessly slow in execution.

Thusly, the five rituals contained here never become boring or difficult to traverse, instead engaging the listener actively via the band’s inherent ability to compose active song structures with dark ‘n gloomy melodies lain atop the narrative. Guitarist David Cisco also shoots Ritual Abuse up a few notches with his varied—for this style, anyway—vocal choices, venturing from screaming demonic utterances to a sub-Pentagram wail, akin to if Bobby Liebling were being tortured by a heroin-wielding Pinhead from the Hellraiser films." (Read more...)

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Andy "Dinger" Beresky-Roadburn

"Lovingly pinched from Stonerrock.com: Were you disappointed with the direction that Electric Wizard took after they released Dopethrone, the album that some consider their finest moment, and perhaps the finest moment in the history of stoner doom? Do you wish they’d gone even farther into sludge and space rock territories with their new lineup?" (Read more...)

Bristling with malevolence, Ramesses’ crushing grooves induce a hypnotick lethargy: weighed down, beleaguered and enveloped by doom. While the percussion/guitar/bass/vokills set to work on your viscera, your head is forcibly plunged down the rabbit hole and drenched in heavy psychedelia.

Spawned in the bleak woodland of Dorset, England, this three-piece has been disfiguring the innards of its army of devoted listeners since 2003 when original Electric Wizard drummer Mark Greening and guitarist Tim Bagshaw hooked up with Adam Richardson (bass + vox), formerly of Lord of Putrefaction, Spirmyard, and Hexed. In the intervening years, Ramesses have ripped an incurable wound in the metal scene.

Reviews:

Matt Mooring-MetalReview.com

"You know, I would have bet that Ramesses would be a household name for doom fans by now. Mind you, it’s not that I’m not a betting man, it’s just that no one seems to want to take my bets on the prospects for fame of heavy metal bands. Anyway, as I was saying, even ignoring for a moment the issue of quality, a band with two thirds of the revered Electric Wizard should raise a lot of eyebrows just on cred alone. But still Ramesses trudge along, letting loose a steady pulse of albums, EPs and splits on a variety of smaller labels, yet the wider world doesn’t seem to be paying a great deal of attention. Just maybe Take the Curse will be the final piece in the band’s Five Year Plan to break them to a bigger audience, and perhaps even land them on a bigger label that would get their albums on more store shelves." (Read more...)

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JJ Koczen-StonerRock.com

"Quit your day job and sacrifice a lemur, Ramesses have a new album! And a brutal, disgusting slab of doomed madness it is. Titled Take the Curse and released through the band’s own Ritual Productions, the second Ramesses full-length follows 2007’s Misanthropic Alchemy, splits with Unearthly Trance (2009) and Negative Reaction (2004), and two EPs, 2005’s We Will Lead You to Glorious Times and 2009’s Baptism of the Walking Dead, all three tracks from which appear here as well. The Dorset band play the kind of doom your mother warned you about, the kind of doom that you lose friends over, the kind of doom where your woman leaves you because you refuse to trim your beard. The kind of doom where one backpatch just doesn’t seem to cut it. You get the point." (Read more...)

When I think of Halloween music I always hear the theme from Halloween or the theme from The Exorcist. But when you think about it, the true Halloween music has to be Doom metal. Black Sabbath lead the way with songs such as "Black Sabbath" and "Children of the Grave" with their bone-chilling riffs and tales of impending doom.

Here is a delightful collection of some of the scariest, creepiest, spine-tingling Stoner/Doom metal tunes for your Halloween hauntings. Boo!

Friday, October 29, 2010

The Brimstone Days are a a Swedish band from Malmö, Skåne län Sweden. They play a very cool blend of old fashioned rock and roll with a tad bit of garage rock as well.

There is one being that is regarded to be one of the most beautiful things on this planet. With wings so colorful that is blows your mind away The Brimstone Butterfly stuns anyone that has the privilege to see it. One cannot watch this perfect creation without letting their mind be free nor will the mind be free until the butterfly has been seen. The Butterfly spread her yellow wings and uses the wind like an element of her own. The sun try to cast a shadow of envy on the Butterfly, but even something as powerful as the sun will see itself in pity when this useless attempts are made. Once every year for a glimpse of a moment the world stands frozen as this day all the Brimstone Butterflies joins in a ceremony above everything else. This day all the Butterflies spread their wings and set out for the sky, creating a yellow cloud of love and therefore creating the one day were love is surrounding us all. This day should not go under any other name then The Brimstone Days.

The Brimstone Days aim to be the liveband with enough energy to get the listener and the audience caught up in an euphoric thrill. With clear influences from the 70s and with catchy tunes, they deliver retro-rock with a modern twist to dance to.

On the road of becoming The Brimstone Days many genres, plectrum and sticks have been worn out, and this not without result. The two original members, Håkan and Johannes, both feel they are heading towards something big.

After the recordings of the EP “Flowers and Rainbows” during spring 2009 bass player Elias Dellow decided to leave the band. In the beginning this drop-out was tough for the remaining bandmembers since the band now wasn't the powertrio they used to be. Shortly thereafter there was a new spark when bass player Hampus Hallgard joined and again the powertrio was ready to deliver.

With the EP recorded and a liveshow that will take you to the flowers and the rainbows, The Brimstone Days has their minds set for bringing you tons of energy next time you catch them at a show, they now stand ready to conquer the stage.

The band has one EP already released which can be downloaded for free and they have just released released a new full length album (review forthcoming).

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

When I think of Austria, the images that come to mind are the vast and scenic expanse of the Alps, those funny pants known as lederhosen, Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music" and of course the governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I do not however, think of stoner rock...that is until now. That's right folks, there's something heavy emerging from the valley town of Innsbruck, Austria and its name is Sahara Surfers.

Now I have no idea how or why the band decided on their moniker, but upon hearing their debut album Spacetrip on a Paper Plane, the name starts to make more sense. You see, Sahara Surfers display a strong desert/fuzz rock influence in the vein of Southern California bands like Kyuss and Fu Manchu. So it seems strangely appropriate to take the name of the world's largest desert...the Sahara, combine it with one of Southern California's most popular "stoner" activities...surfing, and voilà, Sahara Surfers! At least that’s my theory.

But band names aside, these guys (and gal) have concocted a lean, mean album completely void of filler. With only six tracks, they waste no time getting down to business with album opener “Colour Jam”. The song features that wonderfully fuzzy Kyuss-like sound courtesy of Andi Knapp’s guitar work and due in no small part to the heavy low end created by Hans-Peter Ganner on bass and Michael Steingress on drums. In fact, the crash of Steingress’s cymbals on this song are absolutely deafening (Brant Bjork anyone?), and lend to the power and beauty of the overall experience. Track two, “Propeller” picks up right where the first one lets off, and features possibly the heaviest breakdown on the entire album.

But it’s the striking, haunting, almost masculine vocals of Julia Überbacher that helps Sahara Surfers stand out from their peers. When she sings “we’re fading away” on the album’s third track “Age”, you can feel the sorrow and sense of loss in her voice. With Julia’s underlying vocals playing the part of a fourth instrument, the band creates a delicate blend of heavy stoner riffage and pure emotion that has a decidedly indie rock feel to it. If Silversun Pickups decided to make a stoner rock record, this is what it might sound like.

The contrast is even more evident on “812” where a very Tool-like bass line is transformed into a pummeling groove that shifts Spacetrip on a Paper Plane into overdrive. This is the album’s signature track in my mind, as it perfectly defines what Sahara Surfers are all about. And on the following song, “Sister in Shade” the band resurrects the sound of yet another classic, yet sadly underappreciated alt-rock outfit known as Sugartooth (look ‘em up!). The album concludes with an epic number called “Gas” that finds Knapp laying down chill inducing guitar work while Julia rails against the war for oil...”like this your empire grows, let the bodies roll”. This song ends at the six minute mark and a cool little bluesy number shows up a few seconds later as a hidden track and ultimately brings the album to a close.

Spacetrip on a Paper Plane is a fantastic debut by a band that I will most certainly be keeping my eye on in the future. Put it on at your next party and watch as both your metalhead friends and your hipster buddies both come up and ask you what you’re playing. This is flat out good music…highly recommended.

Some of you may have or may not have of ever heard of the Italian Stoner band Black Rainbows, well if you never have I really suggest you do so now. I first heard the band back in 2008 on their awesome release "Twilight in the Desert". After hearing that album I couldn't wait to hear some new music by these guys. Cue up the latest album "Carmina Diabolo". In tradition with the first album, Black Rainbows brilliantly intertwines doom heavy stoner rock with spacey psychedelic rock, think Monster Magnet meets Kyuss complete with great riffs and melodic grooves. The first two songs on the album "Himalaya" and "Babylon" are two absolute stoner rock gems. Why this band hasn't gained more international recognition is beyond me. These guys will be in Heavy Rotation for a long time to come.

What others are saying:

"The band plays a kind of psychedelic Stoner Rock, that draws influences from acts like Nebula, the high and mighty Blue Cheer (hail!) and Slo Burn, as well as the groovy touches from Kyuss. The low tuned guitar and bass add some heaviness to the sound, while Fiori’s vocals travel you somewhere in a desert, where you can see the sun setting as you drink your favorite beer and burn everything that troubles your mind. Suggested only to those few that can feel the heat of music that is played straight from the heart."-Yiannis D.

"How about the finest psychedelic nectar with extra crispy desert rock, spiced with a dose of fragrant tasty fuzz de luxe?

Black Rainbows seem to have been dwelling in the holy temple in almost three years just waiting to unleash their psychedelic sweetness for the second time in history, and finally they do it! The new album 'Carmina Diabolo' has been worth waiting for; the Italian riff inquisition is back with a vengeance and ready to torture anyone who would try to climb the holy mountain, with their mighty strings! Unlike many of their competitors that have gone from pure stoner to being a more 70's oriented hard rock band Black Rainbows have chosen to stick to old traditions, and thank God for that!...(read more)

Monobrow was formed in Ottawa early 2009 when bassist Sam Beydoun and guitarist Paul Slater (formerly of Vancouver's Sir Hedgehog) first jammed with drummer Brian Ahopelto of Acres fame. Sharing a common love for adventurous, underground heavy rock in its many guises, the group quickly built up an impressive repertoire of original songs over the next few months. While not setting out to be an instrumental group, the chemistry between the trio was strong enough that no one wanted to risk messing up the vibe. More importantly, Monobrow felt that the songs that were being developed were strong enough to stand on their own as instrumentals, often with improvised segments within the compositions. In the late summer of 2009, Monobrow entered Yogi's Meatlocker Studio and emerged with a four song recording, which gained significant airplay on Carleton University's CKCU station. This positive response was soon followed by Monobrow's live debut in late 2009. Monobrow's sound can be described as riff-based hard rock, with psychedelic flourishes, and a sense of jamming contained within strong songwriting.

These guys have some pretty cool tunes goin. They have a few tracks over on their Myspace page but their full length album can be streamed, and bought, over at Bandcamp.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I'm just finishing up Samsara Blues Experiment's debut (after a couple of demos) album, Long Distance Trip, and I'm pretty impressed. The album is only made up of six songs, but it lasts over an hour, so you can imagine. This album isn't all long songs though (if you hate a track over 10 min - not me), two are a little over four minutes long, one in nine, two are around twelve minutes, but the ending track is damn close to half of a hour (twenty-three minutes) long - as I haven't finished the album yet, I can't say if it is actually twenty-three minutes, or if it ten minutes followed by ten of silence then onto a 'hidden track.' God I hope not, one of these days I need to write an article about my disdain for these so-called 'hidden tracks' and their uselessness in the current age of music....but another time.

Anyway, as I said Long Distance Trip is a mix of long, psychedelic-leaden, songs and their more straight-forward, shorter counterparts. The best songs are the psychedelic minefields of "Singata Mystic Queen," "Center of The Sun," and "Double Freedom" because they focus more on the music, how it churns, grows, and evolves. While the song "For The Lost Souls" is their most straight forward track ("Army of Ignorance" and "Wheel of Life" are instrumentals, something the group does quite well), the singer's voice gets to me. Throughout the album the vocals are hard to distinguish from the rest of the instruments, I don't know if by design or not, but for "For The Lost Souls" it takes away from the overall song. Now don't get me wrong, for some of the songs it works really well, but that is exclusive to the multi-layered/focused songs (especially in "Double Freedom"), mostly because the lyrics take a second-seat to the music, only being heard once every five minutes or longer; minimal lyrics.

I want to hear more from Samsara Blues Experiment, and I await their next release with fevered anticipation. They pull off psychedelia like kings from the 70s - something that very few bands can claim - but don't do the straight-forward rock very well. If they play to their strong suits, their next release should be four tracks of undulating sonic gold. Play to your strengths guys!

Oh as a PS/BTW, the last song, "Double Freedom," the song of monumental proportions, is a full track. A full twenty-three minutes of blissful trip-rock. Worth the listen.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Today's "New Band To Burn One To" comes to you from Poland. Sunday Driver On Tour delivers their own blend of punishing heavy rock, metal, and stoner and adds a dash of southern rock for good measure. In 2010 they released their first EP called "Tales From Beyond" and have graciously made it available to the readers of Heavy Planet for free. Let the dudes know what you think and become a fan of theirs on Facebook.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

As also seen on The Soda Shop
The Crystal Caravan are probably Sweden's best kept secret. Well guess what? The cats out of the bag. The gig is up! The secret is out, here's The Crystal Caravan. They're one of the best bands to come out of Sweden since Graveyard. They play some of the best classic rock music that you haven't heard, yet. They've put out a self titled album in 2009 and a second followup album, Against The Rising Tide, is due this week (October 28th, 2010). The band is a 7 piece from Umeå, Sweden. Sometimes when you have bands that have more than 5 members yo question their quality and question if that may be enough. Seven is a lot, but they make it work and you'd think that this no more than a 4 piece. Fear not, kick ass rock and roll is here to stay and The Crystal Caravan are going to be the ones to hand it to you.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

"Blues for the Dead." and "Lonely Kamel." I really had no idea what to expect upon first listen. I wasn't blown away by the cover art; which I know may be odd, but cover art is an important part of the whole experience for me. I decided to head over to the bands myspace page and see Oslo, Norway. Nice, I have an obession with Scandinavia. First, I must say the artwork grew on me after the first listen. This is excellent! I hear thick and groovy blues rock. This album is solid. The majority of these tunes are 4 out of 5 with "Stick With Your Plan" being the stand out song. This song has a slow and steady intro and just jams at approximately 1:45! Some of the grooves in this track just bring the vision of a lovely woman's hips swinging! For me, everything just melts together and flows through you, and it feels damn good. If you are looking for some groovy, blues influenced, hard rock, this is the album for you.

Members:

Brenna (vox / guitar)
Lukas (lead guitar)
Stian (bass)
Espen (drums)

Tracklist:

01. A Tale of A Mad Man - 3 out of 5 stars
02. Green Eyed Woman - 4 out of 5 stars
03.Wasted Time - 4 out of 5 stars
04. Stick With Your Plan - 5 out of 5 stars
05. Lady Mushroom - 4 out of 5 stars
06. A Million Years from Home - 4 out of 5 stars
07. No More Excuses - 3 out of 5 stars
08. Blindfolded - 4 out of 5 stars
09. The Boys - 4 out of 5 stars
10. The Trip - 4 out of 5 stars

Friday, October 22, 2010

Since I've been writing up New Band To Burn One To features, I don't think I've covered any bands from Sweden. If I did I honestly don't remember (and my apologies to that band(s)). Now I know for a fact that I have. The band is Slow Explosion and their from Örebro, SE.

.. Slow Explosion is a Örebro-based Rock band ready to take on the world. Currently two demos filled with petrol-powered riffs are released and a lot of new material is being finished. If you feel like hearing more of our thing, give us a shout and we'll see..

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Today's "New Band To Burn One To" is Tow Truck. The band comes to us from the Netherlands. The band plays a down and dirty style of melodic Stoner Rock in the vein of Fu Manchu and Karma To Burn. The band has a bit of a history with many of the members coming from different musical backgrounds, (for more info click here) but bring it all together for some very catchy tunes. You can preview a few of the tracks that they have posted on their MySpace page. The band has just released an EP called "Smoke" below is a very favorable review.

"A big surprise from the Netherlands. Towtruck released their first Demo CD called SMOKE and it is a masterpiece of european Stoner Rock! Sometimes it reminds me on some CELESTIAL SEASON or CANDYBAR PLANET stuff. The opener 52xSPEED is a great Stoner Rock song, but the following, 10 minute crusher TIC (IN MY HEAD) is a masterpiece. Fat riffs mixed with brilliant clear guitars and over all thrones the mighty and melodic voice of Paolo. This is the sound Celestial Season did in their best times. HOAX POCUS is very slow and a great Doom Rock song. Especially the voice shows some comparison to the Southern Rock stuff or to melodic Down. This is the sound to smoke and lay down to relaxe. At the end a Black Sabbath like riff starts and put some speed into it! KILLER! TRAVELING DESERT is a typical Stoner song in mid-tempo. Again awesome guitar work and excellent vocals. The last song MAKIN` FRIENDS can´t hold that high standard, but that is no problem. The first four songs are awesome and maybe the best release from an european Stoner Rock bands since month. I hope this band will sign a huge deal soon!" Jochen (Daredevil)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Spiritual Beggars new album "Return To Zero" for some time, after hearing about the addition of new singer Apollo Papathanasio from the Greek metal band Firewind, I was curious to hear what his power metal vocal-style would sound like with the band, and it is pretty much seemless. This band has always had a pretty interesting mix of great musicians comprised of other bands from different genres of metal putting out some pretty incredible albums, one of my favorites being the 2000 release Ad Astra (#31 on my all-time list). "Return To Zero" is another very solid effort by these guys. This one will be a fixture in my MP3 player for quite some time.

What others are saying:

"It wouldn’t be accurate to think of Spiritual Beggars as the first Swedish heavy rock band, because Sweden has been turned on and tuned in since the beginning, but what guitarist Michael Amott’s post-Carcass outfit did was embrace a more modern stoner sound and help found the scene that would later grow into one of the world’s most vibrant and prolific. And what’s more, they rocked. There’s no discounting the earliest work of Spiritual Beggars in the ‘90s. In both quality and influence, 1994’s Spiritual Beggars, 1996’s Another Way to Shine and 1998’s Mantra III are essential documents for anyone looking to understand the growth of European stoner rock.

Spiritual Beggars’ latest offering, Return to Zero (InsideOut/Century Media) is notable before you even hit play because of (Per Wiberg’s moustache, but also) the departure of vocalist JB Christoffersson, who left the band on good terms to focus on his main project, the mighty Grand Magus. Replacing Christoffersson is Apollo Papathanasio of Greek power metallers Firewind – you may have heard the name because guitarist Gus G. is now playing with Ozzy Osbourne – and though Christoffersson’s work on 2002’s On Fire and 2005’s Demons is not to be duplicated, Papathanasio does an admirable job, proving he’s a soulful, versatile singer in his own right, able to match Amott’s riff and solo magic with a bluesy throat and powerful delivery, and ultimately a worthy successor to Christoffersson and original vocalist Christian "Spice" Sjöstrand....(Read more)

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TRACKLIST:

01.Return to Zero (Intro)
02.Lost in Yesterday
03.Star Born
04.The Chaos of Rebirth
05.We are Free
06.Spirit of the Wind
07.Coming Home
08.Concrete Horizon
09.A New Dawn Rising
10.Believe in Me
11.Dead Weight
12.The Road Less Travelled
13.Time to Live (Bonus Track)

One glance through a few of the recent artists in the “New Band to Burn One To” feature here on Heavy Planet will give you an idea of the amazing variety of musical styles that can be found populating the stoner rock genre. And while I realize that you can trace the roots of this music all the way back to Black Sabbath and beyond, in my mind “Stoner Rock” wasn’t truly defined until the early 90’s. That’s when Kyuss came storming out of the California desert with their fuzzed out, heavy ass riffs and unknowingly started a musical trend that we’re still seeing today.

But lest you think Kyuss were the only originators of the slow and low musical mentality…around that same time, over on the East Coast, a guy named Dave Wyndorf was putting his own psychedelic spin on the stoner movement with his band Monster Magnet. Fed on a steady diet of pills and Hawkwind records, the New Jersey based band unleashed a trinity of now classic space rock albums beginning with Spine of God in 1992, continuing with Superjudge in 1993 and finally Dopes to Infinity in 1995 (rated the number 3 stoner rock album of all time right here on Heavy Planet). In fact, the song “Cyclops Revolution” off the Superjudge album still manages to give me goose bumps to this day. So rest assured, when I was handed an advanced copy of the latest Monster Magnet opus, Mastermind (their 8th overall), to review for Heavy Planet, it wasn’t a task I took on lightly. Let’s get to it…shall we?

The album begins with a down tuned, sludgy, stoner rock anthem appropriately titled “Hallucination Bomb”, wherein Dave plays the role of evil ringleader as he ushers us into his hazy underworld with the trippy opening line “welcome to the grand adventure”. The tune goes on to lay the framework for where Monster Magnet is headed on Mastermind and it is the opening salvo of a very impressive four song stint. The band wastes no time picking up the pace on track two, “Bored with Sorcery”, with its punk rock riffs, blitzkrieg guitar solo and lyrics that seem to allude to Wyndorf’s longstanding residency as a rock n’ roll veteran, a role that has seen him pushed literally to the brink of life and death (Wyndorf overdosed on prescription drugs in 2006). Cynicism towards the “I, I, me, me” state of the world permeates song number three, the groovy “Dig that Hole” with scathing lyrics like “I ain’t gonna try too hard…I’m gonna win a contest and break off my piece of the American dream”. In fact, considering Dave’s battles with addiction, he gets downright introspective in this one when he sings “I’m feeling nervous and my doctor says to me…boy that ain’t nothing that a pill won’t cure”. In case you aren’t noticing the trend, Monster Magnet quite literally puts the “stoner” in stoner rock. So by the time you reach “Gods and Punks”, the finale of that amazing four song stretch and the album’s first single, you may as well take Wyndorf’s advice and “fuck recovery, because you’re already gone”.

Song number five, “The Titan Who Cried like a Baby”, is Monster Magnet’s ethereal take on a ballad, and it brings the album’s thunderous pace to a screeching halt. Don’t get me wrong, this is no ordinary love song…no, when Wyndorf sings about lost love, it’s accompanied by images of black suns, burning palm trees and other righteous shit. This slight break in the action is simply a chance for you the listener to catch your breath prior to the heavy psychedelia of the album’s title track where Dave gargles out more cheeriness, like the line “I know your future’s looking fine…it’s looking rosy as hell”. Speaking of which, this seems like as good a place as any to mention the vocals on Mastermind, which are quite honestly as strong and as powerful as anything Wyndorf laid down on the band’s classic 90’s albums. And the musicianship found here is equally as impressive although the supporting cast has changed over the years. The current lineup, along with Wyndorf, features Ed Mundell and Phil Caivano on guitars, Jim Baglino on bass and Bob Pantella on drums.

Getting back to the music, Monster Magnet starts off the second half of the album with an absolutely blistering track called “100 Million Miles” that takes all the best elements of arena rock, punk and metal, molds them all together and hits you right over the head with it. That arena rock feel and punk rock swagger carry over into “Perish in Fire” where Dave continues to remind us how hard he’s worked in this industry as he screeches “I can think of easier ways of paying my dues…choking on my chicken, singing 21st century blues”…classic! “Time Machine” offers another change in tempo, as it slows things down one final time before the album’s home stretch and features Wyndorf crooning over a steadily building crescendo of dueling guitars. Then, as if to remind everyone that their true bread and butter is in fact stoner rock, Monster Magnet slows things waaaaay down on “When the Planes Fall from the Sky” with a classic doom riff and pounding drums that just lull you into a trance…picture it, your eyes close, your head nods slowly back and forth and an evil grin slowly appears across your face. “Ghost Story” is a song reminiscent of The Cult’s Love album in its beautiful grandiosity, which is due in no small part to the power behind Wyndorf’s vocals. The song is epic in nature and it may just be my favorite of the bunch. The album comes to a close with “All Outta Nothing”, a sort of whimsical, upbeat alt-rock foot stomper that very appropriately sends us away with the line “I’m all outta nothing, with nowhere to go”.

Dave Wyndorf and Monster Magnet have created an impressive slab of rock music with Mastermind, and with a catalogue eight albums deep, that’s no easy feat. As with just about any record, there were a few missteps here, primarily with the slower tracks “The Titan Who Cried like a Baby” and “Time Machine”. However, I’m not missing the point of these songs, which is to break up the album’s pace and transition the listener through its different phases. Whether you’re new to Monster Magnet or you’ve been with them since the early days, check out Mastermind, as it features a little bit of everything that made these guys legends in the first place.

Track Listing:

01. Hallucination Bomb02. Bored with Sorcery03. Dig that Hole04. Gods and Punks05. The Titan Who Cried like a Baby06. Mastermind07. 100 Million Miles08. Perish in Fire09. Time Machine10. When the Planes Fall From the Sky11. Ghost Story12. All Outta Nothing

These next guys here remind me of The Smashing Pumpkins. Let me be clear, it's the funny name and not the music. The band, Dinosaur Eyelids and they're the next New Band To Burn One To. Their sound is unique because they're mostly hard rock and even stoner but they do have hints of alternative. It's not a bad sound or combo, in fact, I think it sets them apart.They currently have one album available called Winter Solstice. They're currently hard at work on a new album which, according to a Myspace status update recently, is almost finished. I look forward to it because these guys from New Jersey have something good going and have a full promising music career ahead of them.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Our friends over at the Sludge Swamp have released their second volume of badass bands from all around the globe. The comp runs the gamut from stoner rock to black metal and features 78 songs and clocks in at over 7 hours. Here is the premise: inclusion is limited to unsigned bands who have sent them tracks specifically for the compilation or tracks they have culled from the never ending flow of material sent to the Sludge Swamp for posting, by unsigned bands themselves. This is an astounding amount of bands to choose from and shows the adversity amongst the band and just how many bands there are out there trying to make a buck. This comp is available for free dowload but it would be a great idea to go to the band's MySpace or whatever other page they have to become a fan and to purchase any materials that may be available.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Heavy Planet would like to welcome two new writers to the Heavy Planet staff. Toby who used to do concert reviews is back along with The Klepto, both will be writing CD reviews. Thanks for your help guys, I look forward to reading your reviews. You may also notice from time to time that Heavy Planet and The Soda Shop share the same articles, that is because Bill from the Soda Shop helps with the "New Band To Burn One To" as well as some CD reviews and "Swedish Sunday". Between the two sites we want to provide the most information that we possibly can. So send us your shit if you want to be heard!

What we have here is some fine southern psychedelic rock. Heavy, sometimes fuzzy, always good. What we have here is the New Band To Burn One To. What we have hee, or who, I should say, is Austin, Texas' own White Rhino.

LOUD, FAST, AND HEAVY PSYCHEDELIC ROCK & ROLL MADE FOR THOSE LIVING A WILD LIFESTYLE.

FORCEFUL DRUMS
COMMANDING BASS
HERCULEAN GUITARS
ASTROLOGICAL VOCALS

Two self-produced releases.
One national, and two west coast tours.
Played with a ton of great bands including; MONOTONIX, SPINDRIFT, LIVING THINGS, ASG, LIONS, and ELECTRIC SIX.

All accomplished with absolutely no label or management.

Started in spring 2008 as an outlet for 3 Austin music scene veterans' desire to start an exciting heavy psychedelic rock n roll experience. White Rhino recorded their first demo within days of forming and have been playing non stop ever since.

In 2009 White Rhino has hit their stride. Highlights include:

Right now White Rhino is staying local, solidifying their Texas fanbase and writing and performing new material. Plans are in the works to tour and conquer the United States during the summer and head back into the studio in the fall.

If you like bands such as Sixty Watt Shamen, Split Hoof or Super Heavy Goat Ass, White Rhino is one band you MUST checkout!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Siena Root is a group and an experimental project with its roots in analogue old school rock music. The foundation is a trio from Stockholm that’s been around since the late ’90s. The sound is classic but yet original, founded on heavy organ, strat leads, bass riffing and big drums. It is also often enriched with bluesy soulful vocals, indian classical instruments and psychedelic vibes.

In the sense that blues is blue, hard rock is black, and reggae is pan African coloured, this music has the colour of siena. It is a warm, earthy colour, originally from the muddy roots of Toscana. Because this sound has roots that go deep, it was also natural to let root be a part of the bands name.

Four full length albums and one 7″ single have been released so far, each one marking the development and refinement of the bands diverse style. Through touring the music has developed in such a way, that jamming and improvising has become an essential element, always keeping you on the edge of your seat. A Siena Root concert is dramatic and exciting, visually, as well as emotionally. It’s a dynamic rootrock experience.

KG West – guitar, organ
Sam Riffer – bass
Love – percussion

A New Day Dawning (2004)
Nasoni Records, Rockadrome Records (re-issue)

01.Coming Home
02.Just Another Day
03.Shine
04.Fever
05.Above the Trees
06.What Can I Do
07.Little Man
08.Roots
09.Trippin’
10.Until Time Leaves Us Again
11.Words
12.Rasayana
13.Into the Woods

Obviously, classic rock purists will lap this up (if they already haven’t done so), but anyone who can appreciate bluesy rock will dig this. The playing is impeccable, the sound is captivating, and this is highly recommended. Better late than never – get a copy of A New Day Dawning- (John Pegoraro, StonerRock.com)

For me these two tracks show a group with a definite and convincing early 70’s sound. The female heavy soulful rocksinger with group, has a kind of inner progressing direction and drive of power roots derived from bluesrock, comparable to a group like Led Zeppelin, but then with a female singer, and with a more straight forward hard-rocking drive, with its own rhythmical variations on “Mountain I”, and with a strong soul-hardrock energy on “Mountain II”. The single is a teaser for what can be expected on the group’s next (second) release. Promising!- Geraldpsyche

One can hear influences from South American, Hindi and North African folk music mixing with rock from the early 70′s, making this THE album no matter what you are looking for…Now you must discover Siena Root for yourself… The Masters of the inner space.- Monolith

01.Dreams of Tomorrow
02.Waiting for the Sun
03.Time Will Tell
04.Almost There
05.Two Steps Backwards
06.Wishing for More
07.The Summer is Old
08.The Break of Dawn
09.Long Way from Home

The guitars still riff it up, but the sitars, mellotron and arrangements head off into a world where Captain Beyond became the biggest band of the seventies and the Pete French fronted Atomic Rooster took up a residency as the British band of choice. That world only exists in my head, which is why I’m delighted to have Siena Root provide the soundtrack…An absolute delight.- HotDigits.co.uk

For the most part, Different Realities is great 70′s styled hard rock record. However, the band spends too much of the second suite stuck in that Middle Eastern rut, which comes across as quite jarring after the excellent opening batch of numbers. Still, the first half of this CD is so strong that it more than makes up for the bit of rambling that the band gets into throughout the latter half.- Pete Pardo

Saturday, October 16, 2010

First off, greeting! I am The Klepto, and Reg has asked me to help out from time to time with reviews. Hopefully you'll see me quite a bit on Heavy Planet, and if you want to see more check out my own blog: The Klepto's Guide to Awesome Music (shameless plug). Anyway on to the music.

From the bit I was sent about Poweraxe (which you can read at the bottom of the post) they call their type of music 'goom metal.' Now originally I thought it was a typeo for gloom, but it appears not to be. Having not heard any of their music yet (I plan to write as I listen), I don't know what 'goom' is or supposed to be, I'm equally intrigued and off-put by this description. The band is made up of the Brothers Axe (which is an awesome last name) who play a seemingly (from their bio) instrumental doom/experimental sound. It sounds kind of a cool mix. Let us begin.

The first song off of their debut EP, "Getcha God Lovin Outta My Country," smashes you right into the full mix. There is no intro, no build up, it's instant balls-to-the-wall guitar-and-drum thrashy music - which after 45 seconds fades just as quick to a light and fluffy semi-acoustic segment, then directly into a groove. It's an eclectic mix, and while each segment sounds great, they don't really flow together all that well. But it sets an interesting tone for the rest of the album, and I have to hear more.

Their next, "Daddy Needs a Drink," immediately segues from the previous with more of the in-your-face thrash sounds, inter-cut with quarter-note drum and guitar back and forth sections. It is just as frantic as the first song, and just as short (two and a half minutes), and once again flows into a slower groove section (my favorite parts of the two songs), but this time with feedback from a guitar screeching over it all. Even more interesting.

"Critical Headwound" is a little bit more traditional (at least with it's beginning), as it has a semblance of an intro; and while it is a quick song, it's not as frantic as the others. Gotta say, my favorite off the album thus far. it's groove section (surprise) is much more laid back and easier on the ears; before revamping it up back tot he original riff, and then it's over just as quick. Another two-minute song, but the best one yet.
Their fourth, and last two-minute song, "Eagle Arc" is another abrupt beginning, but in a good way. The guitars and drums play a repetitive melody as they climb octave after octave, reaching a pinnacle and bring it all down again with a really catchy rhythm section - capped off with a drum-emphasis break-down. Actually a really cool progression. Again, it's good song, one that tops the previous one. I hope the next is even better.

Their last song, "Frostgiant" is by far their most straight-forward track. There is an intro that leads into a groove section, with expected transitions and melodies that actually flow together. There is the status quo, thrash style, but it is built up to, instead of just suddenly happening. This is also their most psychedelic attempt, fading into a looped guitars and limited drumming section. Not as good as "Critical Headwound," but good for any stoner/psychedelic fans out there.

Oh but wait, whats this? After "Frostgiant" there is over six-minutes of silence which leads.... (drumroll please) to a secret track (cue oo's and ah's). Yes it's true, even in the year 2010 there still are 'secret tracks' popping up on albums. In this case, Poweraxe decides to use this extra time to play their experimental track (compared to the rest of the EP, you're probably surprised I'd call it experimental, but I do); a collection of industrial-themed drum and guitar pieces cut together seemingly randomly with a repetitive bass line in the background. Really not a good song, and not something I'd waste the thirteen minutes (the whole track length) to hear again. A really weak way to end an album.

So that's Slaughter The Animals, Poison The Earth, the debut EP from the self-proposed 'goom' band Poweraxe. If you couldn't piece it together from above, this is not a positive review. It's a group that tries to do new things with old technology - and that is to be commended - but they don't do it well. The only track I would listen to again is "Eagle Arc" with "Frostgiant" being a close second (if not for that secret track), and "Critical Headwound" a distant third. I'm interested in seeing where the band goes from here, but not interested enough to await their next release. Maybe I don't get it, it seems more garage/noise rock then anything else, and that's not for me.

I also have to add one little bit I found humorous; when asked if he thought Poweraxe fit into the underground music scene, drummer Ryan Axe responded, “It does not fit, it never fit, and it won’t ever fit until we eliminate the underground as it is now and build a new one ourselves, which will happen.“ - I laughed at that.

From their own mouth:About Poweraxe:Slower, louder, slower, louder. This is the Poweraxe way. The self-proclaimed “goom metal” or “instrumetal” band formed in March of 2007 when brothers Brian and Ryan Axe realized they could do more with a two-person group then most people could do in a 4-20 person group. While they are not the first to only utilize the rhythm instruments in a band, they are the first to do it in such a style that absolutely dwarfs the possibility for improvement via vocals or guitar. Both brothers having formal training in music allows them to explore a world of tones and timing left unnoticed by the world of aggressive music. The sound of Poweraxe is not only one of epic volumes and possibly the crunchiest bass tones known to man, but one of a feeling not easily put into words, a feeling that can only be expressed by the deepest metal. They are also notorious for their live performances that more often than not involve a deep resentment for the audience because, they just don’t understand. When asked where he felt Poweraxe’s music fit into today’s underground drummer Ryan Axe responded “It does not fit, it never fit, and it won’t ever fit until we eliminate the underground as it is now and build a new one ourselves, which will happen. “

Friday, October 15, 2010

The "New Band To Burn One To" is the experimental jam band Reversed Nature from Greece. The band expresses their inner cosmos with a common goal in mind, their love of music. You can check out a few songs they have posted on their MySpace page and download their EP for free below. So sit back, chill out and become one with Reversed Nature.

As also seen on The Soda Shop
So what do we have here? We have another debut album from a Denver band with some serious tunes that really deliver. The band is Low Gravity and they have just released their debut self titled EP to the masses for free.

The EP is your typical handful of songs all within about a half hour. This one is 5 songs coming in at 28 minutes.

The album is pretty heavy borrowing elements from desert rock, heavy metal and some doom. Some of the influences they have listed are Baroness, Kyuss, Comets on Fire, Queens of the Stone Age and Orange Goblin amongst many others.

The Ep is pretty well balanced all round. It starts if with the first track "Manifesto" and keeps rocking on to the last track, the massive 9 minute "Warriors Pilgrimmage."

Any fan of the influences mentioned above will enjoy this album especially fans of Baroness, High on Fire or even The Melvins. You owe it to yourself to download the album and listen for yourself. Click on the link below for the band's website to get your copy and support the band by buying some swag or attending a show or two.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The "New Band To Burn One To" today is a Stoner Metal band hailing from Denver, Colorado. Low Gravity has been compared to Kylesa, Torche, Kyuss, YOB, etc. and have just released a free EP for your enjoyment. Tight grooves, monster riffs, great melodies it doesn't get much better than this. Give the band a listen and let them know what you think.

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What others are saying:

"......This 5-song EP is a killer piece. Absolutely magnificent. Low Gravity is a high potential in this genre. Low Gravity is an unstoppable riffing machine, like a roaring bulldozer blazing a trail through the brushwood....."

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"The band played like a machine hammering out one solid groove after another and while its not what you would call unique, it makes up for that with infectious rocking that you can't get out of your head even after just one spin." -Doommantia

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"Listening to the Low Gravity EP, I keep thinking of Dozer’s first two records, how they took what Kyuss was doing in the desert and made it colder. Low Gravity seem to be doing something similar, though the vocals – mostly screamed, but not entirely without a sense of melody – are a point of departure between the two bands. Still, it’s a similar kind of guitar tone, groove and structure base, which isn’t a complaint at all. Interesting that a Kyuss influence would bounce off Sweden to get back to Colorado, like a cell phone signal going into space to get across a room, but stranger things have certainly happened."

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"...being straightforward fare that should be readily accessible for fans of stoner rock, but Low Gravity do it well and the angrier vocals give them an edge a lot of bands in their genre don’t have, lending an immediacy and urgency to the otherwise laid back and familiar vibes." -The Obelisk